"Fred!" Hermione called. "Fred!...Fred Weasley!" Hermione moved, trying to the crowd of what looked like seventh years towering over her. She'd spotted a flash of red hair and the mischievous grin she was staring to believe lived on each of the twins faces. She hadn't spotted either twin at breakfast and was wondering how George, or more, his head, was doing. Quickly making a decision she hurdled over the low arch in the courtyard, sprinting through a game of gobstones shouting out apologise in her wake, before she was onto the other side of the courtyard, slipping through the seventh years, finally she saw the head of red again and raced towards it, hand grabbing at his sleeve.

"Fred! I need to talk to you." Hermione said as the boy turned round, the two swaying as they got jostled by the crowd.

"Did you run here?" Fred asked curiously as Hermione stood panting.

"You didn't see me."

"Well you should have shouted."

"I did shout. You're just deaf." Hermione snapped, Fred did a small nod, a ahh slipping past his lips as if he'd heard this often.

"So wha-Hey watch it!" He said as an older boy almost hit him in the face with a bag. "Alright, come on." He quickly reached out, grabbing Hermione's arm and dragging her along until they slipped into a less lively corridor.

"So what did you want with the best Weasley twin?"

"Is George okay? I didn't see him at breakfast and he was still bleeding when I went to bed last night." Hermione said nervously.

"wha...oh yeah, he's fine spent breakfast in the hospital wing, he'd be with me now but poor sod got kept behind by Snape."

"Snape?"

"Potions teacher, Right knob."

"I'm sure he's not that bad." Hermione said stiffly. "Why didn't you wait for George?"

"Because as much as I love my brother I'm not risking getting in snapes cross hairs or spend any longer than I have to around the over grown bat." Fred said simply he flopped back against a window sill, tapping next to him. "So how's the first day going ickle firstie?" Hermione quickly dove into telling him about her first day so far, her brain practically overflowing with all the new knowledge.

"FRED! AM GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU WANKER!" George shrieked appearing at the other end of the corridor red faced.

"GEORGE!" Fred cheered back far too happy for someone who'd just been called a wanker. "good to see you, glad old Snape didn't kill you."

"You fuc-"

"ah ah ah, don't foul language in front of the young lady." Fred said point to Hermione. George's eyes flickered to the girl.

"Granger, be a dear and close your eyes and ears while I murderer this traitor." George said.

"What's got your wand In a knot?"

"What's got my...You prat! I have detention for an entire week with that idiot."

"Well that's your own fault."

"You charmed the damn chalk to insult him on the blackboard, For once I did nothing wrong."

"You know you were thinking it." Fred said

"Well yeah but-"

"What did it say?" Hermione asked curiously.

"You don't want to know, lots of swearing, insults and at the bottom, signed by George Weasley. Shut up Fred!" George growled at his laughing twin before he was sighing and pulling out his wand. "Petrificus totalus!" Fred's arms and legs suddenly clapped together, locking to his sides, the man toppled onto the floor, completely still. "full body bind curse. It's a very handy spell." George said nonchalantly before stepping over his twin and taking his seat at the window. "So...Got a reply from your parents yet?" George said casually. Hermione's eyes flicked from the face down Fred to George, George smiled encouragingly, waiting for a reply.

"Um..No..Not yet." Hermione said, eyes continuing to flick between the two. "I wanted to say sorry again, for snapping at you and for making you bleed. But if you hadn't tricked me into breaking the rules it never would have happened."

"Fantastic apology." George said sarcastically an amused smile on his face. The bell chimed signalling for students to get to their next classes. "What lesson you got?"

"charms." Hermione said, George gave a quick nod before he was standing up and snatching Hermione bag, throwing it over his shoulder with his own. "what are you doing?"

"Walking you to charms of course. My class is right next to it."

"I can carry my own bag."

"Ahh but you see I'm being chivalrous, a true Gryffindor. And I'm pretty sure this bag weighs as much as you." George said, bowing slightly under the weight. "Merlin Granger what do you have in here?"

"Books."

"Feels like the whole damn library." George grumbled making Hermione laugh. George nodded his head, starting to walk. Hermione's eyes fell back onto Fred."

"Umm. George." George spun back to see her pointing at the motionless Fred. He made a half-hearted gesture with his hand.

"Someone'll find him soon. Come on Granger, you're going to make us late." With that Hermione whispered an apology to Fred and raced after George.

She was met from Charms by Lee, George and a grumpy Fred. The three following her until George and Fred turned off to go to their next class while Lee continued to walk leisurely by Hermione, commentating on what was going on around them and leading her to her next class. After that was lunch, again Lee walked her before joining up with Fred and George and leaving her to eat with the other first years. Not that any of them talked to her. It seemed on Monday's there classes were all set around the same area's of the school meaning Hermione got her very own chaperones for the day. It turned out on Thursday that the George at the very least didn't have classes close to her and had been promised if he arrived late to one more class he'd be given a month of detentions and so her personal chaperones quickly depleted leaving her to spend the days alone. It seemed that the three were the only ones who could really stand to talk to Hermione, most finding her too brash and annoying, her constant nagging something annoying rather than the boys just laughing at it and promising they'd make a trouble maker out of her yet.

Hermione didn't quite understand it, she was doing perfectly in her lessons, easily one of if not the best. She tried to help her partners who weren't doing so well but that just seemed to irritate them more.

On Friday Hermione was happy to walk into the common room after her last lesson knowing she had the weekend to relax and do her homework, maybe read. She quickly found a seat by the fire and curled up into it, dragging out her book of Hogwarts: a history and flicking through the pages. It seemed everyone else was still in class or had something better to do that sit in their house common room. It was an hour later that the common room begun filling with the third years who had finished there lessons for the day. A moment later and the sofa dipped as Fred and Lee planted themselves either side of her.

"Hey Lee..George."

"Wrong twin. You haven't happened to see my darling brother have you?" Fred asked.

"Sorry." Hermione said bashfully, although in the past week she had started to learn the two apart it was still easy to mix them up. "No I haven't, Aren't you in the same class?"

"For you third year you get to chose more classes. Me and Fred chose Muggle studies but George went and took arithmancy. Boring if you asked me." Lee said

"Why muggle studies?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well it's a hell of a lot easier than Arithmancy" Fred said easily. The portrait hole opened, George wandering in, looking around his face lighting up when he noticed the trio on the sofa.

"Budge up." George ordered moving over to them. The three shook their heads.

"Even you Granger?" George asked.

"I'm rather comfy." Hermione said with a smile.

"Have it your way then." George said before he was throwing himself across their laps, stretching out like a cat. Limbs sticking out every which way as he rolled to get more comfortable.

"Ahh you just elbowed me in the bal-"

"Fred, not while the first year is here." George said, aiming another elbow that Fred intercepted. "you could always budge, and let me sit normally."

"Get off." Lee groaned, shoving the boys feet off his lap sending George tumbling onto the floor, he bounced back quickly, shoving Fred to the other side of the sofa as he planted himself down between him and Hermione.

"Was talking to that second year, cho chang." George said easily, flopping back, head hitting the backboard with a harsh crack that made him groan. "She's pretty."

"Ignore him Granger, he's just realised what girls are now he can't shut up about them." Lee said calmly. "She's too young to be hearing about your urges." Lee said, doing a bad attempt at covering Hermione's ears, the girl batted him away.

"Is she nice?" Hermione asked.

"Who cares if she's nice? She hit puberty early." Fred said, gesturing to his chest.

"She's alright." George said, ignoring his twins lewd gestures. "Seen her looking at diggory, I think she's the type who goes for looks, which is obviously why she's talking to me instead of Fred. I am the more attractive twin."

"You're identical twins." Hermione said bluntly. "You have the same attractiveness level."

"So you think we're attractive?" George asked with a smirk."

"N-no. I just meant, you looked the same.. You're both equally as.." Hermione searched for a word, her cheeks flaming red hands flapping uselessly.

"Sexy?" Fred chimed.

"Handsome?" George mused.

"Repulsive?" Lee added making Hermione snort out a laugh.

"I'm not repulsive am I Granger?" George asked. Hermione didn't answer but knew her answer would be no, in the past week she couldn't help but have a certain flame ignite for the Weasley, she knew logically it was silly and that the only reason she found herself drawing into the boy was because he was older and had a cool mischievous side, that although she didn't condone couldn't help but feel a certain little thrill knowing he was breaking the rules. Her first crush had only happened over the summer, a boy named Kevin at a holiday park, the two had held hands on the swings and stayed up late eating ice cream. Maybe she just wanted something like that again, the little nervous excitement of hand holding.

"So, do you want to make some mischief tonight?" Lee asked.

"What kind?"

"Usual. We were thinking of going down to the kitchens and charming the food that'll go to the Slytherins to dye them red and gold." George nodded seriously as he took in the plan.

"I'd say use Hufflepuff colours. Those idiots think Hufflepuff is the worst house." George said thoughtfully.

"You can't do that" Hermione said stiffly.

"Oh yeah, and whys that Granger?"

"Because it's against the rules!"

"And? The teachers expect us to break rules. We make the year more fun for them." Fred said, Hermione rolled her eyes before glaring steadily at the twins.

"Are you going to tell on us?" Fred asked.

"Well.." Hermione mused, she wanted to, but so far they were her only friends. "No." Hermione said quietly.

"Good. Now how was your day?" George asked.

The next Thursday saw George going to breakfast alone, he had another Arithmancy class first thing while the two slackers got to spend another hour in bed. He moved slowly through the castle, eyes droopy with sleep as he yawned. As he approached the Gryffindor table he saw a bushy head of hair and sent the back of Granger a tired smile before he was slinking into the seat next to her

"Good morning beautiful." George yawned. Hermione's cheeks instantly turned a dark red making George grin. "whatcha reading?"

"Quidditch through the ages." Hermione said.

"You interested in Quidditch?" George asked, not being able to keep the surprise from his voice, so far Hermione hadn't seemed all too interested in the conversation when Lee or the twins turned it to quidditch

"No." Knew it George thought. "I have my first flying lesson today and I have no idea how to fly. I don't even know how broomsticks work." Hermione ranted quickly her face pale. "What if I'm not magical enough to fly?" She asked quietly. "and it's with the Slytherin and that toe rag malfoy, I don't want to mess up in front of them."

"Hey no." George said quickly. "You'll be fine, Half the people who talk constantly about flying are lying, like my brother, Ron, he's been talking about it non stop lately but the last time he was on a broom it was for 30 seconds before he flew into a tree. Seriously, he's awful, can't fly to save his damn life. Most of them will be all talk and there's going to be a bunch of others like you who've never even touched a broom before." George said, shovelling some bacon into his mouth and giving her a closed mouthed smile as he chewed quickly. "You'll do great." He said after he swallowed watching the still nervous girl. She gave a small nod before burying her nose back in the book. The rest of breakfast passed in silence, George eating and Hermione reading.

"I've gotta go. I've got class." George said. Then detention with Snape from the prank last week that still had a few of the slyherins looking a bit yellow. He stood grabbing his bag and ruffling the girls unruly hair. "oh and Granger. You'll do amazing today, always do don't you." George said before wandering off with a wave and a grin.